


Promise

by deaththerabbit



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Fantasy AU, Gore, M/M, uh not sure if this qualifies as gore but thats what ill tag it as just in case
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-19
Updated: 2018-07-19
Packaged: 2019-06-12 21:39:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15349311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deaththerabbit/pseuds/deaththerabbit
Summary: Sent into battle against impossible odds, Koga does everything he can to make sure both he and Kaoru make it out alive.





	Promise

**Author's Note:**

> Just as a warning, if you're not okay with a lot of blood or violence, this is not the fic for you.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. They had promised to live their lives together in peace, without risk of being torn away from each other. And yet they were stuck in a hopeless situation.

Koga loathed the fact that he and Kaoru had not eloped in time to avoid the war that had been brought right to their kingdom’s doorstep. They were bound to the Crown and by their knighthood to fight a war that could not be won.

Pacing across the mountain clearing where their group had made a makeshift camp, Koga waited for Kaoru to return with the rest of his scouting party.

Kaoru and two others had been sent ahead to scout the best route through the mountains for a counterstrike against the opposing kingdom’s military. Their own military was devastatingly outnumbered and the only chance they had was to take their opponents by surprise and eliminate their forces when they were least expecting it.

Koga knew that Kaoru could take care of himself and that he was a very skilled archer, but he could not help but worry. He could not help but worry about the possibility of something terrible happening.

Anxiety clawed at his heart as his mind wandered to darker thoughts. This was practically a suicide mission, and even though every one of them was skilled, they were also expendable.

There were only twenty of them going up against a battalion of at least three hundred men. They had a plan, but he wasn’t sure that it would work they way they wanted it to. It was more than likely that they would die in the middle of their attack, no matter how well thought out it was.

The soft crunch of snow alerted Koga to Kaoru’s return, and he jerked his head in his direction. He fought every instinct to run to Kaoru and drag him into his arms, knowing very well that while relationships were not forbidden entirely, they would be split up and put into different units if someone found out. It was a precaution put into place to make sure that no one put one person’s safety above the safety of everyone else.

After all, if one didn’t have any loved ones, then it was easier to sacrifice yourself for a cause.

Kaoru’s expression was bleak, though he looked unharmed. He made quick strides into camp, his two companions following close behind. “It’s much worse than we were told.”

“What do you mean?” Koga asked, keeping his voice neutral as he looked over every inch of Kaoru’s body for any sign of injury. “What’s happened.”

“There...there are over one thousand knights, soldiers, and archers heading straight for the capital city.” Kaoru gulped, shaking his head. “I don’t...I don’t see what we can do to stop them. There’s not enough of us.”

Koga could practically smell Kaoru’s fear; he could see the way he clenched his hands to keep them from shaking, and the stiffness in his expression that cracked every so often until he composed himself again.

“Which path are they taking?” Koga asked, beginning to pace once more.

“Through the gorge. It’s narrower and more dangerous, but faster than going through the valley to the east. They don’t know the gorge well enough to move quickly through it, but...I don’t think that matters with how few of us there are…” Kaoru replied, his fear finally reaching his eyes.

This was something they could work with, if only Koga could figure out how to make this work. He had been put in charge of this party because he had proven himself reliable in battle. It was completely up to him to come up with a plan that would, in the worst case scenario, stop the oncoming battalion at the cost of their lives, and in the best case scenario, stop the battalion and bring them all out of this alive.

“How much time do we have before they reach the gorge?” Koga growled, growing frustrated when he realized their options were very limited.

He was scared. Both for those he had to command, and for Kaoru’s safety. This was a suicide mission, and they were almost certainly going to die, but he could not have them retreat; his orders had been very clear on that.

“About three days, four max.” The woman beside Kaoru replied softly, not looking nearly as afraid as everyone else did. “I think we can do it, if we prepare well enough. We just need to take out the majority of their force in one fell swoop, right? If we can do that, then we should have no trouble taking care of the survivors.”

It took a moment for Koga to understand what she was doing. Her confidence would raise morale, even if it was just feigned and even if there was no hope of them surviving the battle.

“Let me think about this.” Koga glanced at the sun setting behind the mountains. “Get plenty of rest! I’ll have a plan by dawn, and I want you all to be prepared by then.”

Koga spun around and went to his tent, slipping inside and sitting down next to the map he had pinned to the floor.

It was a full map of the entire mountain range, part of which he had helped to complete. He had grown up in the mountains and knew almost every secret path and useful area in them. It would come in handy for this particular campaign.

~

The moon had risen high in the sky when Kaoru silently slipped into Koga’s tent, glancing behind him to make sure that the archer on watch had not seen him.

“Koga we need to talk, please…” Kaoru sounded scared, and fear was clearly written across his face, lit up by the soft candlelight.

“What is it?” Koga asked, barely sparing Kaoru a glance. He was entirely too focused on coming up with a viable strategy that would have the least amount of casualties on their side.

“Koga, look at me, please!” The desperation in Kaoru’s voice was enough to draw Koga’s attention away from the map he had been staring at. There wasn't even any of Kaoru’s usual teasing, which he often used to lighten stressful situations.

Kaoru’s eyes were glistening and red-rimmed, as if he were close to crying. His hands were clenched so tightly that his knuckles had gone white, but it was enough to keep them from shaking.

“Kaoru, what the hell happened? Who hurt you? I’ll kill ‘em!” Koga was on his feet in an instant, rushing to Kaoru’s side. He grabbed him by the arms and gently shook him.

“No one hurt me, Koga, but...I...I can’t do this. I can’t fight this battle knowing that you and I are both going to die. You made me a promise, but I don’t...I don’t see how you can keep it when the odds are stacked so firmly against us.” Kaoru wrapped his arms around Koga and pulled him tightly against his chest. “I can’t do this, Koga...I can’t…”

Koga returned the hug immediately, knowing exactly how hopeless Kaoru was feeling. He felt exactly the same way, and it was killing him on the inside. “Kaoru, what are you saying?”

“Let’s sneak away. Just the two of us. Please, Koga. We can go to the sea, like you promised, and it’ll just be the two of us. I can’t live without you, but...I can’t watch you die, either.” The tears were beginning to spill over, dampening Kaoru’s cheeks.

“I can’t.” Koga surprised himself with his answer, but he went on without hesitation. “I can’t just abandon the others. If I don’t at least try to do something...they’ll die. I can’t...I can’t just let them die...I…” His voice began to falter. “Kaoru...you...you should get out of here, while you can. I don’t want you to die because I can’t leave the others behind…I’ll find you again, after...after the battle is over.”

Koga knew that he could not promise that, but he wanted to believe that he would survive and find his way back into Kaoru’s arms. He didn’t want to think about the fact that they were too outnumbered to even put a significant dent in their enemy’s force.

“No! I won’t leave you here! Do you think it’ll be any less painful for me if I leave without you? You’ll die here, and I won’t even be able to try to protect you!” Kaoru dug his fingers into Koga’s shirt, as if he could keep anything bad from befalling him by sheer force of will. “Koga...don’t...don’t you know that...I can’t live without you anymore?!”

Koga froze, listening to the agony in Kaoru’s voice. Slowly, he rested his head against his shoulder.

Kaoru had surprised him. He had been terrible at expressing how he felt to Koga simply because he wasn’t a girl. He had been so awkward and shy about it at first, but now he was shameless about how he felt, and Koga felt terrible about making him worry so much.

But he could not change his decision. He wanted nothing more than to run away with Kaoru, but he knew that if they left, the others would die.

“Kaoru...I know. I know, but I can’t...I can’t just leave the others to die. I’m sorry, Kaoru…” Koga slid his hand along Kaoru’s back, placing it flat between his shoulder blades. “Save yourself. I...I will make it back to you, I promise.”

“No! What part of that didn’t you understand?!” Kaoru let out a strangled sob, his tears dampening Koga’s shirt. “I can’t...I can’t live without you! I...I’m not going to let you do this alone.” As if coming to terms with a difficult decision, Kaoru drew in a deep, shuddering breath. “If you...if you’re so set on this, then...then I’ll stay with you. I can’t...lose you. I love you, and if this it, then...I’ll gladly die with you.”

Koga felt as if his heart were tearing two. He didn’t want to even consider the fact that Kaoru might die. In fact, he would make certain that he would be safe, one way or another. He would kill for Kaoru, and he would die for Kaoru.

“We’re not gonna die. I’m gonna figure out a way to fix this.” Koga slipped his hand up and ran his fingers through Kaoru’s hair gently. “I’ll get us out of here, I promise.”

“I know, and I trust you to.” Kaoru whispered, pushing his face against Koga’s neck to comfort himself. “If only we had a mage that could just blow them all up.”

Koga froze as an idea began to form. The gorge was narrow and there were only two ways in and out of the deep chasm, that followed along the river that had formed it. Koga knew the gorge like he knew the back of his hand, having grown up in these mountains. He knew where every single cave led within the walls of the gorge, and knew its weak points.

If they had enough gunpowder, they could strategically set off explosions that would result in devastating rockslides. He was sure that would take care of the majority of the enemy force, and then they could pick off the survivors when they escaped the rubble.

And if it came to it, Koga was certain that he could get Kaoru out of the fray with one of the hidden caves. That would be a backup plan, if all their companions were killed and there was no other choice.

“Kaoru, how much gunpowder do we have with us?” Koga pulled away from Kaoru suddenly, returning to the map on the floor. He was already thinking about where best to stage the explosives.

“Huh? Koga…? I don’t know...I think we were given ten barrels of the stuff, but I’m not really sure why we were given that much. It was a pain bringing it all up here…” Kaoru tilted his head to the side. “What are you thinking?”

“You gave me an idea. If we have enough of that gunpowder, we can cause a rockslide when they’re in the right spot.” Koga was hardly daring to let himself hope that this would be a viable option.

“Wh...Koga! We’d have to be close enough to set it off! That’s way too dangerous! We’d be caught in the blast!” Kaoru evidently did not think this was a good idea.

“What other options do we have? This could seriously damage their force! Unless you’d like to take on all thousand of them without cutting their numbers first?” Koga traced his index finger along the line that represented the gorge between the mountains on the map, tapping three times when he found the perfect spot.

Kaoru stared at Koga helplessly. Even he could see that there was no point in arguing with him. With a sigh, he plopped down next to Koga and rubbed at his eyes. “Lay your head down in my lap. You need to rest. We only have a few hours before you tell the others the plan.”

Though Koga tried to protest, he was dragged down by Kaoru’s gentle tugging until his head rested gently in his lap. With a sigh, he closed his eyes. “I need to finish planning, y’know…” He murmured. 

“I know, but we also need to get to work at dawn, and you won’t be able to think properly if you don’t get some rest.” Kaoru buried his fingers in Koga’s hair, gently massaging his scalp. “Sleep now.”

Koga couldn’t argue with him. He was exhausted, and it only took a few moments for Kaoru’s gentle hands to lull him to a comfortable sleep.

~

By dawn, the camp was buzzing with preparations for their strike against the opposing army. Everyone darted about, sharpening their swords and preparing more arrows for battle.

Three of them were going to plant the gunpowder and other things that would enhance the deadliness of the explosions, while the others made certain that they were prepared to destroy whatever remained of the enemy force once they were done.

Koga, Kaoru, and the woman who had spoken up the day before were the three tasked with discreetly setting up the explosives among the caves where they would trap the enemy force.

They had slapped together a makeshift wagon that they could use to cart the barrels of gunpowder to the caves where they would be setting up the charges. It would make the job much quicker. Another team of three were already making their way to the other side of the gorge to set up half the barrels on the opposite side.

“Kaoru, how big did you say their vanguard was?” Koga asked, strapping the barrels tightly to the wagon. He wanted to make sure that there was little risk of them being set off by mistake, or losing any of the explosive powder.

“Twenty soldiers, ten on each side of the gorge. They were walking along the edge of the cliff yesterday, and I doubt that will have changed. They were more making sure that there weren’t any dangerous obstacles in the way of the rest of their force.” Kaoru replied, replenishing his quiver with extra arrows.

“We should be able to take them on then.” Koga finished with what he was doing and retrieved his sword from where it was sitting, balanced against a boulder. He strapped it to his belt and then moved on to strapping his spare dagger on his ankle, on the inside of his boot. “We’ll kill them all before they can go back and warn the others. Do you two have enough arrows?”

“I should be good.” Kaoru replied, while the woman merely nodded. “Let’s get this over with quickly.”

Koga nodded and grabbed the rope attached to the makeshift wagon and tied it to the harnesses of two horses they had brought. Then he went around and grabbed their leads, pulling them along towards the gorge.

Kaoru and the woman followed close behind, while the rest of their party remained behind as backup.

It was a difficult trip, but they managed to reach the edge of the gorge in good time, leaving the gunpowder barrels hidden so that they could ambush the vanguard without risking damage to their supplies.

Kaoru and the woman darted up into separate trees and prepared themselves for attack, while Koga remained out in the open to draw their enemies out. It would make it easier for the archers to pick them off.

It wasn’t long before Koga was ambushed by five soldiers, although they gave them the courtesy of offering him a quick death if he surrendered. Of course, Koga refused.

Two arrows flew, burying themselves in the chests of two unlucky soldiers. The other three looked around in alarm, while Koga unsheathed his sword. He spun and swung his sword towards the closest soldier.

The blade dragged across his throat, cutting a jagged wound through his skin. Without stopping, Koga spun and launched himself at the next soldier, hacking and slashing recklessly. He was an aggressive combatant, taking each chance he had to wound his opponents.

It was reckless and dangerous, but it was something that he was good at. He never worried about leaving an opening because he was fast and he was not afraid risk injury if he was the one who came out on top.

Another arrow flew and impaled itself in the throat of a soldier that was trying to attack Koga from behind. He dropped to the ground, strangled cries escaping his lips as he struggled and failed to call for help.

Now it was just Koga and the last soldier, as well as the other five, who had not yet revealed themselves.

Without the distractions of the other soldier trying to take him out from behind, Koga was able to quickly dispatch the last one with a hard thrust of his sword between the plates of his armor and into his chest.

Koga twisted the blade sharply and then dragged it out, kicking the dying soldier away in favor of searching for the other five soldiers that were supposed to be on their side of the gorge.

There was a quiet rustling, and Kaoru dropped out of the tree and into the bushes below. He was taking the opportunity to switch trees so that it would be harder to find him.

The last five soldiers ambushed Koga then, driving him towards the edge of the gorge. Rocks crumbled and skittered down the side of the cliff face as Koga’s foot came down on the edge. He took a quick step forward, narrowing his eyes.

An arrow flew through the air, penetrating the back of one of the soldier’s knees. He dropped to the ground, permanently disabled. Koga took the opportunity to jam his sword through his throat.

Another arrow flew, and Kaoru burst from the bushes, heading straight for the soldiers, who had all drawn their blades against Koga. The arrow penetrated the ground, but nothing more.

Kaoru crashed into one of the soldiers, knocking him to the ground. Sunlight glinted off the blade in his hand. Blood sprayed across the soldiers as Kaoru’s dagger tore through his throat without remorse.

Koga moved to step back, and then remembered how close he was to the edge. Instead, he slammed his fist against one of the startled soldier’s faces and used his surprise to drive his blade through his gut.

There were only two left, and one immediately took the opportunity to grab Kaoru by his hair. He dragged him up to his feet and swiftly pressed his blade against his throat.

An arrow buried itself between the soldier’s shoulder blades, and he went down like a sack of potatoes, letting go of Kaoru in the process.

Koga swung his sword at the last soldier, only to have it blocked easily. He locked blades with the soldier, shoving as hard as he could, while his opponent did the same.

Kaoru darted towards them to help Koga, retrieving his dagger from the ground.

The soldier shoved hard against Koga’s blade, noticing Kaoru’s approach. He spun around when Koga was knocked off balance and raised his blade to strike Kaoru down in one devastating blow.

Koga dropped his sword the moment he saw the blade crashing down. He grabbed the soldier from behind, fighting to keep his sword away from Kaoru.

The soldier dropped his sword and fought violently against Koga’s grip. They stumbled closer to the edge, neither of them seeming to notice in the struggle.

Koga managed to wrap one arm around the soldier’s throat, and he pulled it tight against it, cutting off his airway. He let out a gasp of pain as a bony elbow connected with his abdomen painfully.

He stumbled backwards, unable to help himself. The ledge crumbled beneath his feet, and though he tried to scramble back onto solid ground, the soldier’s weight made it impossible.

A moment later, both Koga and the soldier were crashing down the side of the cliff. Koga only saw Kaoru’s horrified expression and heard his anguished cry before he was out of sight.

This was it. This was how he was going to die. The gorge was entirely too deep for him to survive the fall without something to cushion his fall, and even though they crashed against each and every stone on the cliff, it was not enough to slow their fall. There was no way out of this, unless…

For a brief moment, Koga thought of the promise he had made to Kaoru. He had promised him that one day they would have a little house near the sea, somewhere calm and far away from all of this violence and death. He thought of Kaoru’s promise that they could have as many dogs as he wanted.

Determination and the sheer desire to live drove Koga into action. He reached out and grabbed the soldier, hoping this would work. I could just use the soldier to cushion his fall, there was a small chance he could survive the fall and see Kaoru again. He had to take this chance.

The soldier seemed to have a similar idea, and was dead-set on not being Koga’s cushion. He fought against Koga violently, but ultimately lost.

Almost as soon as they had started falling, they crashed down into the bottom of the gorge, the soldier padding Koga’s fall enough to protect him from death. 

Koga’s world went dark as his head knocked hard against the soldier’s armor, lost to unconsciousness.

~

A familiar voice drew Koga back from the cold sea of unconsciousness, and for a moment he could do nothing but listen to it.

“Koga...please...please wake up...I can’t...I can’t do this without you. Koga...please!” The desperation in Kaoru’s voice was hard to listen to.

As the world began to shift into place, he began to feel a dull pain radiate throughout his body. He could feel a gentle hand cradling his head, and another placed on his lower back. He could hear Kaoru’s muffled sobs and feel his damp tears against his skin.

“Koga, I need you. I...I need you to wake up. Please...please don’t leave me...please wake up...please Koga! Please just...come back to me! I can’t…” Kaoru broke off into hysterical sobs again, bringing Koga closer against him.

Breathing in deeply, Koga slowly reached up, arm shaking with pain and effort, and placed his hand against the back of Kaoru’s neck. He buried his fingers in his soft hair and let out a sigh.

“It’s okay...I’m okay…” He whispered, not daring to move any further, in case he had broken something. The pain was only intensifying, and he couldn’t help but let out a strangled noise reflecting that. “Don’t cry, Kaoru…it’s okay now…”

Kaoru went rigid, jerking his head up sharply to stare at Koga. His eyes glistened with tears, but the terror on his face soon gave way to relief. “Koga…” He whispered, voice trembling with every emotion he could not contain. “Y-you...you...scared me...please...please don’t ever do something so reckless again!” He choked out between sobs he could not control.

With a hiss of pain, Koga tried to sit up. “It’s alright now...I...I’m okay.” He was gently pushed back down onto the ground by Kaoru, who held him in place there.

“Don’t move! I don’t...I don’t know how badly you’re hurt.” Kaoru stared down at him for a moment before continuing. “I...just give me a minute to look you over. Tell me when it starts to hurt bad.”

Koga gave a nod, but didn’t speak. Instead, he just remained still and watched Kaoru’s expression.

Kaoru slowly lifted one of Koga’s arms, gently feeling it for any breaks. Once he had determined that there were no breaks, he moved on to Koga’s other arm, repeating the same action. He stopped the moment he reached Koga’s left wrist.

Koga had let out a gasp of pain when Kaoru felt around the bones in his wrist, the soreness elevating to a painful throbbing.

“Sorry about that…” Kaoru whispered, moving on to check to make sure Koga hadn’t broken his legs. He was mostly afraid that Koga may have broken his spine. He would check that last.

His heart pounded painfully in his chest, afraid for Koga. Listening for any little gasp of pain or whimper, he dreaded the possibility that there might be internal damage that he could do nothing about.

“I think my legs are fine…” Koga whispered, realizing how painful it was to breathe. He watched Kaoru slowly shift his hands upwards, where they stopped to rest just below his ribcage.

“I’m gonna check for broken ribs now, okay? It might hurt, so please tell me where it’s the worst.” Kaoru waited until Koga nodded before slowly shifting his hand upwards and feeling his bottom ribs.

A gasp escaped Koga’s lips when Kaoru’s hand reached the middle of his ribcage, and he let out a strangled noise. “Dammit…”

The pain was excruciating, even with Kaoru’s gentle touch, and Koga could not help but sink his teeth into his lower lip, so as not to cry out.

“Koga...I’m sorry. I’m sorry…I’m so...I’m so sorry!” Kaoru was growing hysterical again, yanking his hands away from Koga quickly to avoid causing him any further pain. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t...I couldn’t...catch you…” Tears began to form in his already red-rimmed eyes.

Unable to sit there and just let Kaoru cry, Koga forced himself up slowly, grunting at the agony that intensified with his every movement. Very gently, wrapped both arms around Kaoru and pulled him close against him.

“I’m okay, Kaoru. I’m okay.” He promised, resting one hand on Kaoru’s lower back and the other on the back of his head. He ran his fingers through Kaoru’s hair gently, frowning. “It’s okay. It’s going to be okay, I promise you that.”

“How can you make that promise?! Do...do you not realize that we’re going to die here?! Do you not realize that it’s impossible for us to win this fight?! We’re going to die, and there will be nothing we can do about it!” Kaoru was beginning to hyperventilate, his breaths coming in short, panicked gasps.

“Kaoru! Calm down!” Koga shook him gently, trying to bring him out of it before he fainted. He gently ran his fingers through Kaoru’s hair and pulled away enough to look into his eyes. “Please, Kaoru. I promise it’s going to be okay. Just...just breathe, okay?”

His words didn’t seem to help Kaoru in the slightest, and his breathing only grew more frantic. “It...it’s not...not going to be...okay!” He choked out between ragged gasps of pure, unbridled terror.

“Kaoru! Listen to me!” It hurt to shout, but he couldn’t just let Kaoru faint. He couldn’t listen to his pained, fearful breathing. It was killing him inside just to see the wild terror in his normally calm eyes. “Kaoru, I promise that it’s going to be okay. I promise that I’ll protect you. I won’t let you die. We’ll get out of here, and we’ll go to the sea and build a cottage on a cliff so that we can watch the tide come and go. It’ll be okay. I promise, we’ll be okay.”

“How do you know?! How do you know we’ll be okay?! You can’t...you can’t make that promise! There’s a thousand of them and twenty of us! How can we possibly survive?!” He was near inconsolable.

“I have a plan, Kaoru. I have a plan, and I’m going to make sure we get out of here no matter what.” Koga promised, pressing his lips close against Kaoru’s briefly. He slipped his hands up, placing them gently on his cheeks and rubbing one thumb gently across his cheek bone. “Trust me, Kaoru. Please, just trust me.”

The way Koga’s voice softened seemed to get through to Kaoru, and his breathing began to slow back to normal as he gazed into Koga’s gentle yellow eyes. He slowly leaned forward and rested his head on Koga’s shoulder.

“Pro...promise me. Promise me you won’t do anything stupid. Promise me you’ll stay in my line of sight…” Kaoru’s voice was soft and shaky, threatening to break at any moment.

“I promise, Kaoru.”

~

“They’re almost here. Light them when I get the signal.” Koga whispered, ducked down below a boulder and staring around the side and down into the gorge quietly. He lifted his hand slowly, ready to give the signal when it came time.

The deafening clashing of metal crashing down on the hard, rocky bottom of the gorge, alerted them to the presence of the opposing military. If all went well, very few of them would survive the blast and the following rockslide.

Koga swiped his hand down sharply; a signal to the ones charged with setting off the explosives. He waited a brief moment to make sure everyone followed his orders, including the ones he had sent across to the other side of the gorge.

For a brief moment, there was nothing but the monotonous clashing of the opposing military’s metal armor. And then the ground began to shake violently beneath them, explosions wracking through the earth and sending debris flying violently through the air.

Almost immediately after, the ground began to crumble, stones and boulders crashing violently down into the gorge and onto the frantically fleeing military. Dust burst up into the air, hiding the carnage down below.

By the time all the rocks and debris stopped falling, there were no longer any cries of fear or pain. For a moment, Koga wondered if they had managed to take them all out at once. It would make it far more difficult for him and Kaoru to escape, but...it would still be less risky.

His hopes were soon dashed, when several soldiers managed to stagger out of the rubble. Far more had survived than he was hoping, but the odds were significantly better than before. From Koga’s quick count, there were around seventy surviving, and likely more that hadn’t yet managed to free themselves yet.

Koga raised his hand once more, hoping his companions across the gorge would be able to see his signal, and then swung it down like a guillotine mercilessly severing some unfortunate soul’s head.

He leapt to his feet and took the easiest path down the gorge, followed closely by his companions.

Halfway down, the archers split off to find perches higher up, while those with swordsmanship skills rushed the rest of the way down. It was a plan they had come up with earlier that morning, them having put so much detail into it that they knew exactly where they were supposed to be every moment of the battle.

Koga was the first to reach the enemy soldiers, his sword already unsheathed and swinging at one who had not seen him come up behind him. Blood sprayed across the stone ground, dying it a deep crimson red as the soldier went down like a sack of potatoes.

He spun and went for the next available soldier, ramming the blade up through his jaw and into his brain. A moment later, he yanked his sword free, hardly noticing when the soldier’s body dropped to the ground in his hunt for the next soldier.

All around him, his companions fought tooth and nail with the soldiers that had recovered from their surprise. Above them, the four archers they had among their ranks let loose their arrows mercilessly, their aim precise enough to bury deep within in the chinks of their enemy’s armor.

It wasn’t long until they became overwhelmed, though Koga took down more soldiers than could come at him, aided by Kaoru’s steady marksmanship.

One of their companions fell at the blades of their attackers, and then a second. Their numbers were beginning to thin against their enemies, but they did not give ground.

An arrow flew straight towards Kaoru from down below, and he could not move in time. The arrow embedded itself deeply into his thigh, sending him crashing down backwards against the stone wall.

Pain blossomed through his leg, causing him to let out a faint cry. He bit his lip and glanced down at the arrow shaft sticking out of his leg. He was stuck now.

Koga was the first to notice the enemy soldier heading right for Kaoru to finish the job. He abandoned the one he had been fighting and took off after the soldier heading straight for Kaoru. His heart began to race with fear, and he was not sure if he would make it in time to protect his lover.

Blood seeped into the snow, and Koga launched himself at the soldier, wrapping his arms around his legs and dragging him down to the ground. He dropped his sword and instead resorted to brute force. He shoved his fist against the soldier’s steel helmet, and yanked it off as viciously as he could manage. It was time to get himself and Kaoru out of here, he decided.

Koga caught the fresh arrow that Kaoru had tossed to him, and shoved it through the soldier’s eye before he could fight back. He went still beneath him, and Koga scrambled to his feet and over to Kaoru.

His eyes widened when he saw the arrow protruding from his thigh, a thin line of blood trailing from it. “Dammit! Hang on, Kaoru, I’m going to get you out of here, I promise. Just stay calm, and I’m sorry for this.”

Koga gently lifted Kaoru into his arms, one arm across his back and the other supporting him under his knees. Then he quickly traversed the side of the gorge, making his way down towards the one remaining cave that had not collapsed in the rockslide.

They were pursued for only a moment before an arrow flew and took out the one intending to end their lives.

Koga dove into the cave, using himself to cushion Kaoru from the fall. An arrow embedded itself in the rock wall above them.

He rose to his feet again and darted towards the back of the cave and right past the one gunpowder barrel that had not gone off. He rushed past the thin line of gunpowder that led a trail to the barrel, taking care not to wreck it even a little.

Once they had reached the end of the gunpowder trail, Koga set Kaoru down for a moment, and retrieved a match from his pocket. He flicked it against the rough stone wall until it caught. Then he dropped it at the end of the gunpowder trail, waiting until it caught before lifting a whimpering Kaoru into his arms again.

He sprinted farther into the tunnel, hoping he would be fast enough to escape before the whole place blew.

An explosion rocked the earth around them, causing the tunnel to collapse around them. Rocks crashed around them dangerously, but Koga did not stop. He cradled Kaoru against himself as he ran, doing his best to make sure he was not hurt by the debris.

Koga tripped and crashed to the ground.

It was several moments before the earth settled again and the debris stopped falling, leaving those outside in the gorge wondering just what had happened in the cave. It wasn’t long before they returned to battle, not yet realizing that two of their own had been lost to the earth.

~

It was barely a month after the ambush that the opposing forces surrendered. The enemy kingdom had decided that they would rather not attack a country that had such skilled soldiers that it only took twenty of them to take out an entire army.

Lost to the battle, Koga and Kaoru had been praised as fallen heroes, having come up with the strategy that had assured their victory.

In a small cottage by the sea, two former knights had taken up residence shortly after the battle. They were almost dead ringers for the fallen soldiers, Koga and Kaoru. But that couldn’t be the case...right?

“Thanks, Koga.” Kaoru’s voice was soft and tired, and he leaned heavily against Koga as they slowly made their way down to the sandy shore to sit and watch the tide come in.

“Yeah, yeah.” He mumbled, making sure that Kaoru didn’t put too much pressure on his healing leg. “Just take it easy down there. You’re still healing.”

“I know. I’ll be okay if I’m with you, though. Don’t worry. I’ll just sit quietly. I just...want to watch the sun set with you.” Kaoru leaned his head against Koga’s gently. “I can’t believe we actually made it here. I can’t believe that we can look forward to just this for the rest of our lives. Do...can we actually live in peace now?”

“Of course we can.” Koga tightened his grip around Kaoru’s waist. “We’re free now. We can watch the sun set and rise every day now. We...we’re free to do whatever we want for the rest of our lives.”

“Thank you, Koga. Thank you for keeping your promise.” Kaoru nuzzled against his neck very gently, a small smile growing on his face. “You have no idea how happy I am now…”

“Oh, I think I do know.” Koga paused for just a moment. “I’m sorry for not getting you out of there sooner.”

“It doesn’t matter. We’re safe now, and that’s really all that I care about.” Kaoru murmured, letting out a small sigh as Koga helped him sit down in the sand.

“You don’t have to worry anymore. We’ll be safe now.” Koga said after a moment.

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed reading this! It's a lot different from my usual stuff, isn't it? It took entirely too long to write, and I hope it turned out well!


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